NFL Mock Draft 2023: Complete 1st-Round Predictions After NFL Honors
On Sunday night, either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs will be crowned this year's champion of the NFL. The two teams are set to face off in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The winning team will also own the final pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. However, that's less of a concern for the Eagles, who will also have the No. 10 overall selection thanks to a trade they made with the New Orleans Saints in 2022.
For the other 30 teams in the league, draft preparations are already a primary focus. Their seasons have been over for quite some time, so they've been looking ahead to the draft, which is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City.
With the end of the 2022 NFL season almost upon us, here's an updated mock for the first round of the upcoming draft.
1st-Round Mock Draft
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1. Chicago Bears: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
2. Houston Texans: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
3. Arizona Cardinals: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
4. Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
5. Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos): Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
6. Detroit Lions (via Los Angeles Rams): Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
8. Atlanta Falcons: Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
9. Carolina Panthers: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans Saints): Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
11. Tennessee Titans: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
12. Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns): Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
13. New York Jets: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
14. New England Patriots: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
15. Green Bay Packers: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
16. Washington Commanders: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson
18. Detroit Lions: Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brian Branch, CB, Alabama
20. Seattle Seahawks: John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
21. Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
22. Baltimore Ravens: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
23. Minnesota Vikings: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
25. New York Giants: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
26. Dallas Cowboys: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
27. Buffalo Bills: Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M
28. Cincinnati Bengals: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
29. New Orleans Saints (via San Francisco 49ers): O'Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida
30. Kansas City Chiefs: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU
Will Bears Strongly Consider Trading Down from No. 1?
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The Bears are in a great position as the holder of the No. 1 selection in this year's draft. Either they can take any player in the class they want, or they could consider trading the pick. If they opt to do the latter, they'll likely receive an impressive haul of selections in return.
There could be several teams hoping to jump up to No. 1, too. Some franchise could be looking to move ahead of the Texans (who pick at No. 2) in order to have their choice of any quarterback. Houston will likely be taking a QB with its first selection.
Chicago doesn't need a quarterback, considering it took Justin Fields in the first round in 2021. The 23-year-old made impressive strides in his second NFL season and appears like he could be the franchise's QB for the long term.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, there's at least a decent chance that Bears general manager Ryan Poles is open to moving down from No. 1.
"Teams are keeping close tabs on the Bears, who own the No. 1 pick in April's draft, and the prevailing theme is Poles is very high on value," Fowler recently wrote. "Despite in-season trades of linebacker Roquan Smith and edge rusher Robert Quinn, Chicago has just eight picks in the draft and only one in the top 50. Poles will most likely aim to change that."
Plus, if the Bears move down from No. 1 to No. 3 or No. 4, they could still end up with either Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. They'd likely take one of the two at No. 1, and they'd be adding more picks in a trade.
So it makes a ton of sense for Chicago to deal the top selection in the draft. It will be interesting to see who could move up into that spot, although it will likely be a team that's in need of a quarterback.
4 Quarterbacks Could Get Taken in Top 10
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In 2022, there was only one quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL draft. That was former Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, who went to the Steelers at No. 20. There wasn't another quarterback taken until Desmond Ridder went to the Falcons at No. 74 overall in the third round.
This year should be much different. Numerous teams with early picks have holes at QB, and there are some talented prospects in this draft class. In fact, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if four of those quarterbacks were taken within the first 10 selections.
The Texans should take a QB at No. 2. Davis Mills hasn't proven to be the solution to their offensive woes. And while they could consider several different quarterbacks, Alabama's Bryce Young is likely the best option.
The Colts (No. 4 pick), Raiders (No. 7) and Panthers (No. 9) all need to find franchise QBs. The Seahawks (No. 5) and Lions (No. 6) could also be in the market to draft successors to Geno Smith and Jared Goff, respectively.
Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson join Young as the top quarterback prospects in the class. They're each worthy of consideration in the top 10 as well.
It's never easy to predict exactly how the NFL draft is going to play out. But it would be a surprise if the QBs don't start coming off the board early on the event's opening night.
Plus, trades could shake up the order, especially if the Bears decide to move down. That could lead to a bunch of quarterbacks getting taken right away on draft night.
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